The second Māori queen under the eight-dynasty reign of New Zealand's Kiingitanga movement has been enthroned in an emotional ceremony attended by thousands at Turangawawe Marae.
On Thursday morning, Maori leaders hailed her as a “new dawn”.
Ngā Wai Hono i Te Po Paki, the only daughter and youngest child of former Māori King Tuheitia Putatau Te Wherowhero VII, was unveiled as the new queen on the final morning of her father's six-day tangihanga (funeral), marking the start of a new generation of resistance.
Kiyingi Tuheitea died peacefully in his sleep on Friday, aged 69, after undergoing heart surgery.
In a Te Whakawahinga (coronation) ceremony in the small town of Ngaruawahia, 27-year-old Nga Wai Hono I Te Po Paki was crowned by the Kiingitanga Advisory Council, made up of 12 elders from various tribes, who elected her Queen of the Māori Kingdom. The position is not automatic; the late Kiingi Tuheitea also had two sons.
Te Kau Mā Rua chairman Che Wilson said Te Whakawahinga was a significant ceremony that dates back eight generations. “We chose Nga Wai Hono I Te Po as our new monarch in accordance with the tikanga of our ancestors who founded kiingitanga, uniting and uplifting our people.” She was anointed with holy oil and blessed with the same Bible used to crown the first Māori king in 1858.
Ngā Wai Hono i Te Po Paki completed his MA in Māori Cultural Studies at the University of Waikato and got his moko kauae (chin tattoo) at the age of 19. As a gift for father And the years he has spent on the throne. The Māori kingdom's second-youngest monarch, Ngā Wai Hono i Te Po Paki, has spent the past few years as his father's aide at many events, and the news of his coronation at Ngaruawahia was met with tears and joy. What was reported.
Kiingitanga was founded in 1858 as a force for resistance to colonisation and protection of Māori culture and land. It has no legal authority and the monarch's role is mainly ceremonial, although he is also considered the paramount chief of several tribes.
Since the conservative National Party-led government came to power in New Zealand in October, Kiingitanga has played an increasingly important role in uniting Māori against proposed policies that many see as rolling back Māori rights. Kiingi Tuheitea was seen as a beacon of hope, convening a series of nationwide rallies to protest against these policies and propose changes to Treaty principles.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi lawyer Annette Sykes, who has spent her career fighting for Māori rights, said the new queen embodied the future she had been striving for.
“She is inspirational. The revival and recovery of our language has been a 40-year journey for most of us. She embodies that. For her it is her mother tongue and she speaks it effortlessly. The political, economic and social well-being of our people is at the heart of her desires and in many ways she is like a beloved grandmother to her people.”
Sykes said he was pleased that the male council had chosen a woman to lead it, but it wasn't a given.
“She represents a new dawn and it is to be commended that after several days of wise advisory deliberations a decision on motu has been made for the good of the Māori world.
“We've all watched her grow up and seen her develop into a woman who is incredibly humble, who has a thirst for real knowledge and who is bringing that into the modern world. She's someone who wears Gucci and moko kauae. She's going to lead us into the rough waters of the unknown, but she's going to do it with aplomb.”
Pakistan's Pakistan met with then Prince Charles in London in 2022, He set out on a journey to honor his ancestors.But he said it was difficult to think about the brutal impact of colonisation on New Zealand's Māori: “To be honest, my greatest wish is to see all Māori land returned to Māori.”
Kiingi Tuheitea's mother, Te Arikinui Damu Te Atairangitaaku, became the first Māori Queen in 1966.
Kiingi Tuheitea's body was carried by a guard of honour including members of the local Ngāti Maahanga tribe and the New Zealand Defence Force to the Waikato River, where a convoy of waka boats carried him to sacred Mount Taupiri for burial.
